


Mi Cariño

by whoopsitsmeme



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Death, Galra Keith, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 14:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9903305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoopsitsmeme/pseuds/whoopsitsmeme
Summary: in which nobody recognizes Keith's stupid mullet





	

If Keith was asked when it started, he would have no idea. All he knew was that he ran out of his mother's pills and suddenly he was half purple. That's about when it started. He tried to act normally and attend meals, but his attempts at being normal ceased once his fellow Paladins began to question him. At least he had excuses, right?

~~~  
   
"Keith, babe, what's going on?" Lance asked. "You look hot, you should take off your jacket."

"No!" Keith replied quickly, calming himself before he added, "I'm fine."

Lance looked at him skeptically but didn't push any further. After training that day, Keith retired to his room and skipped dinner.

~~~

A week had passed and the spots had turned into a huge patch that covered his torso, most of his legs, and it had started creeping up his neck. Keith looked in the mirror and gingerly touched the soft fur sprouting on his arms. He hissed when he heard a knock on his door and he frantically pulled on his coat and threw a scarf around his neck.

"Mi amorcito, please come and eat with me. I miss you. You've been avoiding me for weeks." Lance sighed. "I promise I won't tease you."

"Come in," Keith called.

Lance placed his arms around Keith's waist and kissed his forehead. "I know there's something bothering you. You know you can tell me, right?"

Keith nodded, too afraid to say anything in case his voice betrayed him.

"Talk to me." Lance led him to the bed and sat them both down, looking at him expectantly.

"I-" Keith struggled to think of a response. "I'm tired. Getting separated in the wormhole really scared me."

Lance frowned. "If that were the case, wouldn't you spend more time with everyone?"

"I don't want to miss you guys any more than I did then. Spending time with you would only make it worse once we do get separated," Keith explained, trying to stay calm. "I don't want to get hurt, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"That's not something you would say," Lance said quietly. "You wouldn't dare say that you don't want to spend time with us."

"Then maybe you don't know me, Lance!" Keith snapped, pulling away. "It's better if you leave me alone. You won't even notice when I'm gone."

Lance flinched as if Keith had slapped him. "Keith, I know you better than you know yourself. And you know me better than I know myself. Just listen to me for once. You don't want to do this, not really. You just-"

"Enough!" Keith hissed. "I don't want to hear it, _amorcito_. Just leave."

Lance stood and backed away, eyes wide. "I'm sorry, Keith. Whatever happened, I just want to help. You can call me when you're ready, okay?" With that, Lance was gone and Keith was left shaking and angry.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked himself as he closed the door and returned to the mirror. Tears welled up in his eyes and he fought to keep them back.

Keith left his room and went to the baths, hoping that he could soak away his problems. He trudged through the halls and clenched his fists, ignoring the pricking sensation he felt when he did so. Once he arrived at the pools, he stripped down to the bone and slipped on swim shorts, jumping into a warm bath immediately.

"You fight like a Galra soldier," a voice whispered in his ear, making him jump and sit up. Nearly an hour had passed, so Keith stood and hurried to change back into his clothes. His eyes remained on the door at all times, meaning he didn't see much until he passed the mirrors. His feet stopped.

"Fuck."

Keith stared at the reflection in the mirror, watching his yellow eyes flick back and forth in time with his ears. Fangs flashed white when he opened his mouth, scaring him each time. His entire body was covered in short fur that ended only when it reached his claws and the pads on his feet. A long tail lashed back and forth behind him angrily.  
   
"Paladins, a Galra has been found in the castle!" Allura's voice called from the speakers. "It's in the eastern wing."

Keith froze, holding his breath. 'How did she find out so quickly?' He paced the room, looking to the door of the baths before darting outside and down the hallways. 'God, why is it like a maze?' he asked himself. He tensed when he thought he heard steps, carefully making his own footfalls quiet. Keith's chest heaved as he ran about, frantically searching for a place to hide, or a place where he would be recognized. He managed to stumble into his room, but just as he was closing the door, he found himself face-to-face with Lance. Lance's eyes burned as he shoved Keith back from the door.

"You sick little brat," he growled, grabbing the front of Keith's shirt with his fist. "Why are you on our ship?"

Keith trembled. "I've always been here, Lance, I've always been by your side. We've had lots of good arguments and-"

"Bullshit!" Lance spat. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You can't see me," Keith choked out. "Wake up, cariño. I'm right in front of you."

Lance hesitated at his words, but soon shook it off and growled, "You're disgusting. Don't call me 'cariño' when I don't even know you."

"Lance, please, it's me, Keith!" Keith pleaded, his voice breaking. "I'm here!"

Lance looked right past Keith, searching for what wasn't there. "What did you do with Keith?"

"Nothing, I didn't do anything! Don't kill me," Keith begged, backing away. "Mi amorcito, mi príncipe, mi cariño. Please, I'm here."

"Begging for your life won't work." Lance pulled out his bayard and aimed it at Keith. "Get out of my way, you monster."

Keith cried out when he felt the blast hit his gut. He could feel his fur fading away into the pale skin it once was, saw his claws shorten to familiar stubby nails. He stumbled and fell to the floor, desperately clutching his wound.

"Wait, Keith?" Lance asked, reaching out warily. His eyes widened. "Keith!"

Keith looked up at Lance, fear in his eyes. "I knew I was a monster," he whispered. "You know it now, too."

Lance shook his head. "No, baby, no, you're not a monster."

"You never really loved me if you couldn't see past your eyes. None of you did," Keith said quietly. He closed his eyes. "You couldn't hear me calling for you."

Lance kneeled beside Keith, murmuring his name over and over. When he didn't reply, Lance flipped on his communicator and called to his fellow Paladins, begging them to come and help him.

"Amorcito, cariño, baby, please, stay with me," Lance urged, pulling Keith into his arms. Keith smiled softly and let out a strained laugh.

"I'll always be with you," Keith reassured him, feeling the world around him fade away.

Keith stood abruptly and stared at his limp body in Lance's arms. He wasn't quite sure what to say because he wouldn't be heard, so there was no point in saying anything.

"Lance?" Shiro's voice asked in the distance.

Lance hardly heard anything. He held Keith close and went numb when he felt no breath on his neck. Keith's heart had stopped beating long ago, though the blood kept dripping. Lance's eyes glazed over and he curled his fingers into Keith's shirt as if he were going to be ripped out of his grasp at any moment.

"Keith needs to get taken out of here and to a healing pod," Shiro ordered, but he faltered when he was brushed by Lance's broken gaze. "Lance, what happened?"

Lance pressed his forehead to Keith's like he always did and squeezed his eyes shut against the building tears. He brushed a kiss on Keith's cheek before letting out a sob. Keith brushed his hand over Lance's shoulder before walking into the bright light shining ahead of him.

If Keith was asked when it started, he would have no idea. All he knew was that he ran out of his mother's pills and suddenly he was half purple. That's about when it started. He tried to act normally and around his beloved team, but his attempts at being normal ceased once his love shot him. At least it was over, right?


End file.
